User Menu

Search form

User menu

SocialHeader

Market Studies

Some technologies could truly disrupt the status quo, alter the way people live and work, and rearrange value pools across industries. The McKinsey Global Institute’s new report, Disruptive technologies: Advances that will transform life, business, and the global economy, identifies 12 technologies—including next-generation genomics, autonomous vehicles, and 3-D printing—that could have a massive economic impact. Our slideshow details each technology’s economic-value potential.

This paper conducts conjoint analysis using a mixed logit model to estimate consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) on the basis of an online survey carried out in the US and Japan in 2012. We also carry out a comparative analysis across four US states. We find that on average the US consumers are more sensitive about fuel cost reduction and fuel station availability, whereas Japanese consumers are more sensitive about driving range and emissions reduction. As for the comparative analysis across the four US states, we find that WTP for fuel cost reduction varies significantly, and is the greatest in California. We use the estimates obtained in the conjoint analysis to consider EV/PHEV diffusion rates under several scenarios. In a base case scenario with relatively realistic attribute levels, conventional gasoline vehicles still dominate both in the US and Japan. However, in an innovation scenario with significant purchase price reduction, we observe a high penetration of alternative fuel vehicles both in the US and Japan. We illustrate the potential use of conjoint analysis for forward-looking policy analysis, with the future opportunity to compare its predictions against actual revealed choices. In this case, increased purchase price subsidies are likely to have a significant impact on the diffusion rates of alternative fuel vehicles.

Modernization of power usage and design is demanding for new control and operation strategies of the smart grid. The changes in load control system coupled with the variable and stochastic nature of renewable energy integrated in the smart grid offers a new set of challenges in balancing generation and consumption. The deployment of energy storage system throughout the grid from generation to end-user present an opportunity to transcend the power balance paradigm by storing energy during off-peak and redispatched when needed. It also makes process happen more effectively and improve system performance. This paper addresses commonly used energy storage technologies, their application and benefits. The simulation carried out using OpenDSS software shows the effectiveness of energy storage on intermittent renewable energy and its positive impact on the tasks of voltage control.

This report summarizes the main findings and recommendations from extensive fire and extinguisher testing program that evaluated a broad range of battery chemistries1 . The testing was conducted through much of 2016 on behalf of the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Consolidated Edison, as they engaged the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and the New York City Department of Buildings (NY DOB) to address code and training updates required to accommodate deployment of energy storage in New York City.